Hi, my name is Desiree Huerta and I am a C4-7 spinal cord injury from transverse myelitis that occurred on September 16, 2021.
What started out as shoulder pain then numbness/tingling in my feet, quickly turned into loss of sensation & weakness. Within a couple of hours, I was paralyzed from the chest down. Two days post-admission I was diagnosed with transverse myelitis. After 3 weeks in the hospital & 5 months in rehab, I was discharged.
Read MoreHello there, I’m Collin Milhous. I have Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia type 11 which is an ALS related disease. Back in high school my best friend said, “I think you’re getting what your brother has.” That’s when I realized my gait was changing. My parents had noticed it, too. My brother, James, had been diagnosed a few years earlier. After high school my Spastic Paraplegia was rapidly progressing, and I was in constant pain whenever I tried to walk. Many times I thought I would never make it through college. I felt like physical therapy wasn’t helping anymore, and I knew that I would no longer be able to walk.
Read MoreMy name is James Milhous. In middle school, I starting tripping and then falling off my bike. Even walking normally became increasingly difficult. In 2010, I was diagnosed with Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia, an ALS related neurological disease. There is no treatment to prevent or slow Spastic Paraplegia, and we were told that within ten years I would be wheelchair bound and have difficulty swallowing along with significant mental decline. That was twelve years ago.
Read MoreHello! My name is Baron. On May 28th, 2021, when I was 13 years old, I was on my mountain bike training for one of my dirt bike races when I overshot a jump by several feet causing a severe head injury. I was on life support for two days when the doctors stated there was a possibility I would never wake up again and if I did my family would never know the neurological state I would be in. One year later and I am full of life and have so much more life to live. I have been gaining back so much that doctors said would never happen thanks to the scholarship Be Perfect granted me to The Perfect Step to get the rehab support and workouts I need to continue to progress and get stronger.
Read MoreMy name is Jose Perales. In late 2006 at 15 years old I underwent an intense 18 hour spine corrective surgery for my severe scoliosis that left me paraplegic. In the beginning, the injury left me feeling rage, depression, and hopelessness. But overtime, my situation shifted my mindset. I learned to evolve and adapt to the changes. It gave my life more value and gave me the compassion to be a guide for others. The support from Be Perfect changed my life tremendously.
Read MoreMy name is Terry Webb. I was diagnosed with Chiari Malformation and Syringomyelia (throughout my entire spine) in 2009. Since March of 2010, I have received 22 brain and spinal cord surgeries. Because of so many surgeries, and many complications, each time I would become weaker and more unstable. The ultimate injury to my spinal cord happened during a surgery on October 3, 2017 which caused paralysis in my legs after removing arachnoid cysts.
Read MoreMy name is Emma Rose Vargas. On January 12, 2020, I fell down a staircase at the age of two years old ultimately sustaining a T6 spinal cord injury. Life thereafter was never going to be as I knew it as a very young kid, but it did not mean it could not still be great or even better. I ended up looking for an opportunity to get involved with therapy so I could continue to develop as a young kid.
Read MoreMy name is Brian Day Carr and on August 31, 2019, I broke my neck at the C5/C6 level. I was kayaking in Newport Harbor and finishing up the day when I decided to take one last dip before leaving. I dove headfirst off of a short cement wall that stretched out into the water from the beach thinking the water was much deeper than it was.
Read MoreName is Benjamin Barnabas. On September 10, 2018, I suffered a traumatic cervical spinal cord injury while I was on my way back from a job interview. While on my way back from a job interview in a commercial ten-man minibus, our driver hit a pothole and the bus somersaulted several times leaving me unconscious and quadriplegic instantly with several fatal injuries among the passengers. The Be Perfect Foundation assisted me by paying for my physiotherapy sessions at The Perfect Step in the United States, where ultimately I will be pursuing bettering my quality of life thus allowing my dreams to come true.
Read MoreMy name is Mike Browns. I suffered a C3/4 incomplete spinal cord injury in a mountain biking accident on August 8, 2020. My accident happened when I went over the handlebars while coming down the local trail. Because of your gracious contributions, I have been able to attend The Perfect Step. In the short time, I’ve been attending, my movement and flexibility have increased. I am truly looking forward to the progress to come through hard work and continued determination.
Read MoreMy name is Miguel Rivera and I suffered a C-6 spinal cord injury on August 15, 2009. A few nights before my first day of college. A night of drinking and having fun with my friends led me to make an unconscious decision. I attempted to drive myself home, but before I could reach my destination, I crashed into a side railing off of the 5 freeway that led to my car being catapulted down into a ditch that left me with the inability to walk. I was only 18 years old. Be Perfect has provided me with life-changing assistance, including financial assistance through their scholarship. Essentially, Be Perfect's assistance has helped me regain an independent and active lifestyle that has allowed me to continue to pursue my wildest hopes and dreams.
Read MoreMy name is Anne von Rosen and I suffered a T4-5 spinal cord injury in a horse-riding accident on March 11, 2014. I used to be a jockey. And on said day, the horse I was riding suddenly collapsed after the race and fell on top of me, crushing my 5th thoracic vertebrae. (the horse was fine and got back up. I underwent emergency surgery the same day as I was leaking spinal fluid. They also put a cage in at T5. Two days later I underwent a second surgery that stabilized my spine from T3- T8.
Read MoreMy name is Leopoldo “Leo“ Perez Jr., and on October 19, 2020, I sustained a C4-T1 lesion on my spinal cord due to a virus from Transverse Myelitis. I was working when I suddenly had a sharp pain in my right shoulder. The pain was so sharp I could no longer make a fist. How I managed to get home was a miracle, for I no longer had any sensation from my neck down. How I was able to drive home when I could no longer determine the difference between the brake and gas was beyond me. I got home and I just collapse and stayed on the floor for more than 8 hours. I was diagnosed with Transverse Myelitis.
Read MoreIn 1999, I fell approx. 35 feet from a telephone pole and landed upside on my neck and shoulders. I shattered T8 and cracked T7 and T9 vertebrae, which has left me paralyzed from mid-chest down. I have been a client of The Perfect Step off and on for 5-6 years now. Due to working in Los Angeles, my commute leaves little free time during operating hours. Around October 2019 I was graciously granted a scholarship from The Be Perfect Foundation and their generous donors to be able to attend therapy at The Perfect Step. Due to the holidays and then Covid I was not able to utilize the scholarship until Perfect Step opened back up, but then It allowed me to utilize my extra time to work on my consistency.
Read MoreMy name is Anna Karen Barajas and I was injured in a motor vehicle accident on November 12, 2017, that left me a T1-T6 Incomplete spinal cord injury. The motor vehicle accident that I was in led to be a fatal one that was caused by an intoxicated driver who decided to get behind the wheel and it physically, mentally, and emotionally changed my life permanently. I suffered major internal injuries, had multiple rib fractures, loss of blood, punctured lungs, on top of suffering a spinal cord injury. My dad suffered fractured ribs and body bruising. And my Mother who may now Rest In Peace lost her life in a car accident by hitting her head. The impact of the crash caused her skull to burst open and have internal bleeding.
Read MoreMy name is Michael O’Neill and on August 3, 1972, I suffered a T-9 spinal cord injury after a fall. After climbing up a fishing dock ladder in rural Alaska with a bag full of groceries blocking my view, I proceeded in a hurry, up the dock with my head slightly tilted towards the incoming tidewaters, where my net was catching a lot of fish at that moment. Being in a hurry, caused me to walk into the very corner of a big open section of the dock that had been removed by winter ice. Upon hitting the hard ground 20ft below, I went immediately paralyzed but was saved by a nearby fisherman friend that heard the big thump. He knew immediately what happened. I was rescued before the incoming tide could drown me and I made it safely by boat and bush plane to the far-off hospital 12 hours later.
Read MoreMy name is Ashley Hutton and on March 3, 1996, I suffered a spinal cord injury in an automobile accident. The accident was due to bad weather conditions in my hometown of Buffalo, NY at the age of 5. Due to the doctor's negligence, they did not check my spinal cord for swelling resulting in my current injury. Growing up in my hometown, there were limited resources available to me in regards to rehabilitation and physical activity. While I did not let this hinder my ability to be involved in my school and community, it wasn't until I decided to go away to college in Arizona that I realized the incredible opportunities for me to gain my independence.
Read MoreMy name is David Dodero. In October 2014, at the age of 62, my life took a drastic turn. I experienced a serious case of food poisoning while on a business trip to Spain. Unlike normal food poisoning, however, the symptoms of my illness didn’t follow the regular progression. My illness began with gastric distress. It soon developed into something much worse. Upon returning from Spain I got up to get ready for the office and collapsed. I regained consciousness and stood up. I slowly walked down the stairs to go to the ER. Little did I know that it would be the last time that I would walk down the stairs in over five years.
Read MoreMy name is Ali Gray and I sustained a T4 spinal cord injury in a motocross accident on February 23 of 2019. February 23, 2019 was a cool but sunny Saturday when I drove to the Perris Motocross Track. Little did my 42-year-old self realize that on this day my life would take a sudden turn and that I would be placed into the toughest contest of my life.
Read MoreMy name is Natalie Fung and I sustained a C-5 spinal cord injury when I was hit by a drunk driver in the back of a cab in Las Vegas. The Be Perfect Foundation granted me a scholarship for me to work out at The Perfect Step. I've gained a lot of strength since I started working out at The Perfect Step. I have met so many friends through Be Perfect and The Perfect Step. Seeing others with similar injuries to mine gives me hope that I can one day be as strong and independent as them.
Read More
